Icebreaker by Hannah Grace: audiobook vs book, which should you choose?
A figure skater and a hockey captain are forced to share a rink. The story is told in two first-person voices and read by two narrators.
Short answer: for the Icebreaker audiobook vs book choice, we say listen on Audible (100% confidence, clear cut). The audiobook is read by Elizabeth Louise and Tim Paige and runs 13 hours 23 minutes, unabridged. One source says each printed chapter heading names whose chapter it is, which we could not confirm. Two narrators, one per lead, and a long book point to audio.
Listen on Audible
Two narrators, one per lead, and a long book, with nothing confirmed in print that you would miss on audio.
Affiliate links: we may earn a small commission, at no cost to you. It never changes a verdict.
Confidence 100%, which puts it in the clear cut band. Bands run from close call at 50 to 64, through leaning at 65 to 79 and clear at 80 to 94, up to clear cut at 95 and above.
The audiobook at a glance
| Recording | UK edition, our verdict (Simon & Schuster Audio UK) | US edition (Simon & Schuster Audio) |
|---|---|---|
| Narrator | Elizabeth Louise and Tim Paige | Elizabeth Louise and Tim Paige |
| Length | 13 hours 23 minutes (13h 23m) | 13 hours 23 minutes (13h 23m) |
| At 1.5x | about 8h 55m | about 8h 55m |
| At 2x | about 6h 42m | about 6h 42m |
| Abridged or unabridged | Unabridged | Unabridged |
| Audio publisher and year | Simon & Schuster Audio UK, 2022 | Simon & Schuster Audio |
| Print length | 448 pages (Simon & Schuster UK paperback, 2023; one listing gives 432) | Not confirmed |
| Price | £16.58 | $22.49 |
This is the only English recording we found. It is sold under three different ASINs on Audible UK and three on Audible US, all at 13h 23m. French and Spanish translations also exist.
Prices are a snapshot from 17 October 2026. Lengths checked 17 October 2026. Speed times are calculated from the listed length.
Icebreaker
Hannah Grace
- Genre
- Romance (college hockey)
- Series
- Maple Hills, book 1
- Published
- 2022
- Length
- 448 pages (Simon & Schuster UK paperback, 2023)
- On audio
- 13 hrs 23 mins, read by Elizabeth Louise and Tim Paige (2022)
- Awards
- Shortlisted, Pageturner Book of the Year, British Book Awards 2024
- On screen
- Netflix series ordered in 2026, no release date
On this page
Why we reached this verdict
Every book on this site is checked against the same thirteen questions. They are based on research into what most people find easier to follow in each format, not on whether the book is any good.
Listening: full cast or produced audio (10), long book (3), 13 points. Reading: nothing confirmed, 0 points. 100% of the confirmed points favour listening, so the verdict is listen on Audible at 100% confidence (clear cut).
The recording in detail
- Narrated by
- Elizabeth Louise and Tim Paige, unabridged, released 23 November 2022
- Publishers
- Simon & Schuster Audio UK in the UK, Simon & Schuster Audio in the US
- Editions
- The only English recording we found, sold under three ASINs on each of Audible UK and Audible US
- Casting
- Not stated: no listing says how the reading is divided
- Listener ratings
- 4.3 from 823 ratings on Audible UK and 4.5 from 5,458 on Audible US, as of October 2026
- What audio adds
- A female and a male voice on a romance told from two points of view
- What you miss
- Any chapter headings naming the narrator, unless they are read aloud (not stated)
What this book actually is
Icebreaker is book 1 of English author Hannah Grace’s Maple Hills series, self-published in 2022 and taken on by Atria later that year. Simon & Schuster UK published the paperback on 19 January 2023, at 448 pages, and a special edition hardback on 19 November 2024. Waterstones lists it as shortlisted for Pageturner Book of the Year at the 2024 British Book Awards.
Anastasia Allen, a figure skater, and Nate Hawkins, captain of the hockey team, are forced to share a rink. The book alternates between them in the first person across one college year. Netflix ordered a series in 2026 with Daisy Jelley and Connor Simos in the lead roles; as of October 2026 no release date has been announced.
The case for reading it
The case for print is slim. One source says each chapter heading names its narrator, as in “Chapter 1 (Anastasia)”, which tells a reader at a glance whose point of view they are reading. A listener has to take that from the voice. We have not confirmed the headings in a current edition, so it is not counted.
Print also lets you set the pace. The Nerd Daily found the book “dragged out over too many chapters”, and in print you can move faster through the slower stretches.
The case for listening to it
The story has one storyline: two people who start out at odds over a shared rink, across one college year. There is little to keep track of beyond the two leads and a hockey team, so it holds up well on a commute.
Two narrators, a woman and a man, read a book told by a woman and a man in turn. Audible US tags the recording “Highly rated for Excellent Narration”, and listeners rate it 4.5 there and 4.3 on Audible UK, as of October 2026. At 1.5x the 13 hours 23 minutes come down to about 8 hours 55 minutes.
The audiobook in detail
Elizabeth Louise and Tim Paige’s recording came out on 23 November 2022, two months before Simon & Schuster’s UK paperback. It runs 13 hours 23 minutes, unabridged: about 8 hours 55 minutes at 1.5x and about 6 hours 42 minutes at 2x. Simon & Schuster Audio UK publishes it in the UK and Simon & Schuster Audio in the US.
It is the only English recording we found, but it is sold under three different ASINs on Audible UK and three on Audible US, so a search can show it more than once. No listing says how the two narrators divide the book.
Who should ignore this verdict
Readers who like a chapter label telling them whose point of view they are in may prefer print, which one source says has these labels. The book contains very explicit sexual scenes (Waterstones shelves it under Erotic Romance), and sources flag anxiety, disordered eating and an abusive relationship.
Audiobook
- Read by Elizabeth Louise and Tim Paige, unabridged
- 13h 23m, or about 8h 55m at 1.5x
Read differently from most people? The app, coming soon, will let you switch off any of the thirteen checks. Get notified →
Related verdicts
Fourth Wing
It also has two narrators, and our verdict, based on its map and spellings, is to listen.
Verity
It has a two-narrator recording, and the publisher does not say who reads what.
Heated Rivalry
It is another hockey romance, read by one narrator.
Start hereHow we decide
The thirteen questions behind every verdict on this site.
Questions people ask
Who narrates the Icebreaker audiobook?
The Icebreaker audiobook by Hannah Grace is read by Elizabeth Louise and Tim Paige, published by Simon & Schuster Audio UK in 2022.
How long is the Icebreaker audiobook?
The Icebreaker audiobook is 13 hours 23 minutes (13h 23m) long, unabridged. At 1.5x that is about 8 hours 55 minutes, and at 2x about 6 hours 42 minutes (calculated).
Is the Icebreaker audiobook abridged?
No. The Icebreaker audiobook is unabridged; Simon & Schuster UK lists it as an unabridged audio download.
Should I read or listen to Icebreaker?
Listen on our checks (100% confidence, clear cut). Two narrators, one per lead, and a book over 400 pages point to audio, and nothing confirmed points to print.
Is Icebreaker being made into a Netflix series?
Yes. Netflix ordered an Icebreaker series in 2026, with Daisy Jelley and Connor Simos as the leads. As of October 2026 no release date has been announced.
Is Icebreaker told from two points of view?
Yes. The Icebreaker book alternates first-person chapters between Anastasia and Nate, and the audiobook has two narrators, Elizabeth Louise and Tim Paige.
Do you agree with this verdict?
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How this verdict was reached
Every book on this site is checked against the same thirteen questions, set in advance and applied identically to every title. They are based on research into what readers and listeners generally find easier to follow in each format, not on personal preference, and they are published in full so you can check the reasoning yourself. Verdicts are never paid for, sponsored or influenced by affiliate partners.
- The criteria: read the thirteen questions in full.
- What we checked for this book: the Simon & Schuster listings on Audible UK and Audible US, Simon & Schuster UK edition details, Waterstones, Open Library and Wikipedia records, The Nerd Daily’s review, Audible listener ratings and reviewer content warnings.
- Verdict last reviewed: 23 October 2026. Editions and narrators change, so verdicts are rechecked annually.
- Prefer different criteria? The app, coming soon, will let you change which of the thirteen questions matter to you.
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